UNFORTUNATELY titled for a film released in the middle of a scandal over pedophile priests, this contemplative coming-of-age tale transcends that initial “oops” factor to reveal itself as a quietly comic little gem.

The dangers faced by the scalawag altar boys of the title are largely self-created – as Kieran Culkin’s Tim says, “Serious trouble beats serious boredom” – until the realities of adulthood impinge on their mischief-making.

Set in an unnamed Southern town in the 1970s, the film is infused with the hazy golden glow of nostalgia and unfolds at a leisurely pace, reminiscent of “The Virgin Suicides.”

Director Peter Care, making his feature film debut, opens with a well-crafted scene in which Tim and his partner in rascality, Francis (Emile Hirsch), apply the triangulation skills they learned in class to chop down a crucifix-like telegraph pole.

Driven by the need to get under the skin of their teacher, the humorless, peg-legged nun Sister Assumpta (played to perfection by a wimple-wearing Jodie Foster), the boys’ pranks escalate through the theft of a saintly statue to an ill-advised – and ultimately tragic – escapade with a cougar.

There’s a tender subplot involving Francis’ first flush of love with a troubled, suicidal girl (Jena Malone). His loss of innocence – not what you think – leads him to grapple with a prematurely adult introduction to the notions of sin and forgiveness.

Adapted from a cult novel by the late Chris Fuhrman, “Dangerous Lives” snap-crackle-and-pops with animated sequences by “Spawn” creator Todd McFarlane, used to illustrate the boys’ fantasy lives.

Ripped from the pages of “The Atomic Trinity,” a violent and “blasphemous” comic book the boys spend their free time drawing, the animation places Francis and Tim in a parallel universe where their superhero alter-egos battle the evil Nunzilla.

The Foster-produced “Dangerous Lives” encountered a few hiccups on its way to the screen: The animation wasn’t ready in time for last year’s Sundance, and it was pulled from the 2001 Cannes festival after Foster quit the jury president job for a role in “Panic Room.”

Those festival-goers missed out on uniformly terrific performances – especially from the limpid-eyed Culkin – and quote-worthy lines like, “Let’s get Peg Leg – I feel like kicking her nasty habit.”